after augustine it was forbidden to "read" contemporary history as a
fulfillment of prophecy, esp of apoc prophecy from Revelation. history since
the incarnation was, essentially, opaque (see robert marcus, *saeculum*). this
insistence on a non-apoc reading of history "held" for almost 6 cns (400-1000)
in the formal histories of the time. even when someone started to slip (eg
Gregory of tours in the early 590s), he'd cite the "little" or synoptic
apocalypse (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21) rather than Rev. but the evidence suggests
that at the oral and popular level such apoc readings of current events were
widespread. in gregory of tours, charismatic prophets spring up after signs
and prodigies like mushrooms after rain (eg X 23-25). rodulfus glaber
represents the first historian to openly invoke revelation in his reading of
history (II 11, the heretics of the millennium as fulfillment of the prophecy
that antichrist is released). this is the beginning of a process that will,
via the crusades, lead to joachim of fiore.
you might want to look at the book of Revelation in historiography. the early
12th cn figures like Rupert of Deutz (Robert of Liege) and Gerhoh of
Reichersberg are, in the wake of the non-apocalyptic crusades, trying to create
a theology of history for this overextended period of history from xt to the
present, this incomprehensibly long "middle age" btwn the two comings. as K.
Morrison puts it in his essay in the mcginn-emmerson volume, these historical
theologians or theological historians (add, obviously, otto of freising), are
the "settled" leftovers of a far more turbulent contest that was fought earlier
(i read, the crusades). history and revelation -- the two things that are
*not* supposed to be joined according to augustinian orthodoxy, are constantly
(and incorrectly) joined by people all the time. it's just that it doesn't
make it into the texts -- just because we don't have the writings of the hal
lindsey of his day, doesn't mean there weren't any.
rlandes
Richard Landes
Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University Department of History
704 Commonwealth Ave. Suite 205 226 Bay State Road
Boston MA 02215 Boston MA 02215
617-358-0226 of 358-0225 fax 617-353-2558 of 353-2556 fax
http://www.mille.org [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|